The Inventor's Daughter
by thegirlofthoughts
Summary: I had always been told that my "cousins" were evil, that my father and brother were on the "good" side. Then, my brother died, and I hated my father. I took off on my own for a while but soon decided to try for redemption. I know that acceptance is a long shot. But I don't know if they'll still forgive me even after I betray them.
1. Prologue

**Hello once again, reading audience. This is just a random story I wrote several months ago that was kinda-sorta inspired by Maximum Ride, I guess. It also reminds me of when Tasha was talking about them not having the ability to fly. It's probably one of the longest stories I've written, if not the longest. It's not the most original or the best, but I liked writing it. It ends up being pretty fluffy, and I always love writing fluffy family moments like the ones in this. But I won't spoil any more of it.**

 **So, this is the prologue. It's short but sweet. I guess this would be set in Season 3; I can't really remember what I had in mind when I wrote this. Just for the sake of the reading experience (because I personally hate it when I don't know who or what gender the narrator is when it is for no reason), this is from my OC Emily's pov, and that's all I can tell you right now. I can't wait to see what you guys think, and I can't wait to post more of this. Hope you enjoy!**

When they found me, they had no idea what I was. That is, until I landed.

Yes, I just said _landed_. I had been flying through the air with my giant black raven wings that were grafted into my back and were controlled by a chip in my neck that was connected directly to my nervous system when they spotted me. They probably thought I was a giant bird or something. If so, I quickly proved that theory wrong.

I was high up in the air, high enough so we could see each other but not close enough that they could make out exactly what I was. I needed to stay a little higher than normal because one of them, the youngest of the three, had super senses. Hopefully, they weren't super enough to see what I really was.

They were standing on the roof looking at me, the three special ones, their father/uncle, and their stepbrother. I suspected the stepmother was inside, not interested in the giant flying thing above their house.

I knew about the cameras and satellites and stuff that their father/uncle had invented and set up around his house for security measures. I knew exactly where they were at the exact moment they were supposed to be there. I knew what I was doing.

After several minutes, they finally left. The stepbrother stayed the longest, holding binoculars up to his eyes. Even with the best binoculars in the universe, he wouldn't be able to see the real me.

I watched him leave as well then heard a car start and pull out of the driveway. Finally, they were gone. I circled around the house they lived in, making sure everything was in order. Then, I stopped in midair and dove toward their long balcony. At the last second, I spread my big dark wings and came to graceful stop.

I opened the sliding glass doors and stepped inside the Davenport mansion. First stop: the infamous lab.


	2. Chapter 1

**I'm back! Here's another short chapter. I didn't realize how short they were when I wrote them. Well, I think we all saw this coming. Predictable plot... Sigh. But now you get to know more about the history and my OC. Whatever. Not much to say. Hyped for the rest of the story. Trust me. It gets better than this.**

Cyber desks were incredibly fun to play with. I could have stayed there all day and just fiddled with it, but I had a mission to complete. I typed in some stuff in the digital keyboard, and an image popped up in a 3D model. It was a pair of wings just like mine. I pressed some more buttons and held up a scanner that made things in a computer come out in a real model. Mr. Davenport really was a genius inventor.

The scanner shot a red line that went up and down several times. Soon, the wings were right there. I turned the scanner off and grabbed the pair of wings. Reaching back, I pressed a button on my chip, and my own wings fell out. Then, I took the ones I just made and put them on my back. They grafted in flawlessly. I gazed at my old pair with both critique and remorse. They were grimy and a bit worn out, but I had had them for three years now and they had never failed me. Maybe I could make a few touch-ups and make them a backup pair.

"Hah! I knew it!" The voice made me jump up into the ceiling rafters. When I finally looked down, I saw Donald Davenport standing there, staring at me in awe and amazement. "Who…who are you? Why are in my lab? And _what_ are _those_?" He gestured up at me, but I knew what he really meant: my wings.

I jumped down from the rafter beams and landed skillfully on my feet. "And why should I tell you anything?"

"Because you broke into my house and stole top-secret information from my lab." He crossed his arms, looking smug with his answer.

"Actually, I didn't break in; I walked in through the balcony door. And I didn't steal anything; that design belongs to me."

His face lost that arrogant look. "What are you talking about? Those human-sized wings were _my_ design."

I waved around my old pair of wings. "Uh, you were kinda late to the party, Davenport. I've had these since I was ten."

"So you're saying I should believe that a teenage girl beat me in the inventors' race to create wings for humans?"

"Mm-hm, isn't it kinda obvious?" He just looked at me, slightly slack-jawed. "Well, if that's all, I should be going now. It was great meeting you, Mr. Davenport." I was about to take off right then and there, but Donald stopped me.

"Oh no, you don't. You haven't answered my questions yet, and you're still not off the hook for breaking into my house or 'walked in through the balcony door' as you say." He grabbed my arm, though if I wanted to, I could jerk it out or twist his arm around and escape. But I didn't. "What's your name?"

"Emily."

"What's your last name?"

"You don't want to know."

"And why not?"

"Just trust me."

"I trust you about as far as I can throw you."

"What about how far Adam can throw me, with his super strength and all?"

Donald's eyes widened as he sat me down in a chair. "How did you know?"

"I know more about you and your bionic family than you think. I even know some of the hidden abilities that they're going to have."

"Who are you? Why are you here?"

"I'm here to get some new wings. As for who I am…" A sly smile slid across my face. "I'm your niece."


	3. Chapter 2

**Well, have another (long) chapter. Fall break is on, and updates will hopefully be more frequent. So we get to know Emily a little more and where she fits in to the actual show storyline. This is the other characters' first impressions as well. Not much to say.**

"She won't answer any more of my questions. You three need to talk to her." I could hear Mr. Davenport's voice from the separate room in the lab. He had put me in the main part and wouldn't let me out. A few minutes ago, the elevator door had dinged, and the inventor had started talking to some people. I was assuming it was Adam, Bree, and Chase.

"Alright, Mr. Davenport, we'll talk to her." This was from Chase. Even though I had never actually heard him speak, it was always how I imagined he sounded like.

"Yeah, let's go see who this bird-girl thinks she is." Adam's voice was deeper, but he just sounded a lot more childish.

The door slid open, and the three bionics walked through. Their gazes immediately went to the wings across my back then turned to my face. I stood. "You probably have a lot of questions. Well, just know that I'm not going to answer them until I can talk to someone not blood-related to my father."

I sat down again and crossed my arms. "Your father?" Bree asked.

I didn't answer, just closed my eyes and leaned my head back. "Where's Leo?"

As if in answer to my question, Mr. Davenport's voice came through the closed doors. "Leo, you shouldn't be down here. There's someone very important we're talking to."

The oldest two teenagers' faces remained blank, but Chase cringed a little. "I'm so touched!" I called. "But I'm not that important. Come on in, Leo!"

As the door was opening, Chase turned to me. "How did you hear that? Only I could, and I used my super-hearing."

I shrugged. "Don't you think my dad made sure I used my normal human abilities to the limit before putting super-human stuff in me?"

Chase opened his mouth to reply, but Leo walked in at that moment. "Hey, guys, who's this?" He pointed at me. "And what's with the wings?"

"I'm Emily." I stuck out my hand, and he shook it warily. "And these are my creations. Well, actually, they're my father's creations. Sorry about that," I told Mr. Davenport, who had walked in after Leo.

"Who's your father? He must be a pretty good inventor to beat Big D at his own game," Leo commented.

I stared at the five of them, incredulous. "You really don't know?"

"Please don't be the person I think it is," Donald said.

I smirked. "Oh, it is. My father is Douglas."

For five precious seconds, everyone and everything stood stock still, not even daring to breathe. Then, everything seemed to explode at once, as if someone had hit the pause button and then came back and hit play. Everyone started yelling and trying to talk at once.

Unfortunately, this was always how I had pictured it. After a few moments of them screaming at me and each other, I calmly flew up in the air and beat my wings hard, creating a giant gust of wind that effectively made them stop talking.

When I landed, they all stared at me, as if I was some kind of magical fairy. Finally, Chase spoke up. "So, if you're Douglas's daughter, that makes you our sister, right?"

"Half-sister," I corrected. "I was actually born the real way, not genetically engineered like you guys."

"Well, this is new." Eddy's voice popped up as if on cue. "Here's another person that I can ruin their day."

"Oh, you don't want to ruin my day," I said, calmly stalking up to his screen. "Because I can ruin your mainframe."

Eddy gasped. "You wouldn't."

"I'm not like your little friends here. I'm not half as nice."

"Ah! Donnie, this bird-girl is scaring me."

"How do you know how to hack into Eddy's mainframe?" Donald asked me, ignoring the emoticon.

I shrugged. "You can't be the daughter of a brilliant inventor without picking up a few things."

"Douglas is not a brilliant inventor. He's a heartless, evil psychopath. _I'm_ the brilliant inventor."

"Whatever you have to tell yourself. I'm not the biggest fan of my father, but at least I'm honest enough to say he's smart. He did create the bionic chips after all."

"Wait a second," Chase cut in. "You said you knew some of our secret abilities."

"Yes, but I'm not telling you them. Like Donald said, there's a certain time you need to discover them."

"How do you know I said that?"

"Let's just say that your little security system isn't the most secure system out there."

If Eddy could look any more appalled, he would have right then. "You're definitely Douglas's daughter," Mr. Davenport muttered, so soft that probably only he, Chase, and I could hear it.

"Are you _insulting_ me, _Donnie_?" I asked, taking a step forward.

His face went pale. "No, how did you hear that?"

"The bird-girl has super senses like Chase," Adam said.

"My name is Emily, if you don't mind."

"You're bionic?" Donald asked, shocked.

"Kind of. I do have a chip attached to my nervous system, but it's not like Adam, Bree, and Chase's. It's mainly for my wings, but it has some other functions as well."

"Like what?" The billionaire crossed his arms over his chest.

"You know how a lot of things these days have connections, like a trigger or button or have to run on electricity or something?" Everyone but Adam nodded. "Well, if something is threatening me, even if it's a thousand miles away, my chip can sense it and cut the connection. It's a lot more useful these days when everything has to depend on something else to work. It's like a self-defense kind of thing."

"So, how does your chip have to do with your wings?"

"The chip can…change the skin and muscles and stuff in my back so the wings can mold into them. It just…adapts so it can work." I have to search for the right words sometimes.

I snapped my fingers. "Hey, if you guys wanted, I could modify your chips so they can do this stuff too."

The three bionic kids' faces lit up. "Yeah, that'd be awesome!" Bree said. The boys nodded.

"Whoa, wait a second. I don't want some strange girl who claims to be my psycho brother's daughter to be messing around with my kids' chips."

I shrugged. "Fine, just thought about offering. Now, if you don't want me around, I'll just be going." I started to leave, but all four of the kids started protesting.

"Please, Mr. Davenport, can't we let the bird-girl stay?"

"Yeah, can't we at least let her stay here for a night or two?"

"She is our sister, after all."

"We still have a bunch of questions to ask."

I found it amusing that they all asked Mr. Davenport and not went directly to me. "Fine, fine, alright," Donald said. "As long as she cooperates, she can stay for now."

The other kids cheered and thanked him, not even paying the slightest bit of attention to me. I was tempted to say, "Hello, I'm still right here. You still haven't asked my opinion. What if I don't want to stay? Are you going to force me?" But I decided against it. I had made my point that I was going to be hard to deal with. One shouldn't push it, after all.

Donald turned to me. "So, why are you here and not with my brother?"

"I ran away when I realized how he really was, just a few months ago." I smiled mischievously. "I saw you guys fight him and Marcus. That was quite a show."

"Where were you? None of us saw you," Chase said.

"I was inside for the first part. When I went out, I saw Marcus and Leo talking and yelled out Marcus's name. It was what distracted him enough for the electricity to not go through the vest you were wearing." I turned to Leo and quirked an eyebrow, looking a lot like Marcus himself. "Then, I followed an angry Marcus inside when I found the door to the lab was open and saw you guys there. I watched the whole thing from the doorway, though I could tell you guys were a bit busy to notice me. When the building started collapsing, I got out of there, and I never looked back. So there, that's my story."

The five people in the room stared at me for a while. Finally, Leo said, "So, you saved my life?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Marcus doesn't really have any human feelings since he's an android, so I couldn't let him go too far, like he always does. I didn't even know those were my siblings fighting in there."

"Why didn't you help us?" Chase asked accusingly.

I shrugged again. "Not my problem. And it looked like you guys had it pretty much under control. I knew you guys would defeat them. Besides, I wouldn't have let anyone die or anything. I would have stepped in if I had to."

"But you didn't." Donald narrowed his eyes at me.

My façade of nonchalance didn't falter once. "So? To me, you were a bunch of strangers fighting my father and brother. It was only later that I found out you were actually my family as well."

Mr. Davenport looked like he was going to say something else, but Bree cut in. "Guys, let's just drop it. It happened in the past, and it's not like she did anything to hurt us." She looked at her dad pointedly.

He sighed. "Fine, but I still have a lot of questions."

I smirked. "And I have a lot of time to kill, so I guess we both get what we want."

Eddy appeared on the screen again. "Tasha said that dinner's ready. We're having cow brains with short cake for dessert. I bet you can guess who those are for."

Adam and Chase groaned, and Bree just shook her head with a smile. The six of us made our way to the elevator, but as we were going, I saw Donald shoot me a dirty look over his shoulder. I just smiled.

I could tell that he didn't like me very much.


	4. Chapter 3

**Let's play: Get to Know Your OC Through Random Questions Asked by the Original Characters! Yay. Anyway, here's another chapter. I know it hasn't been very interesting, and everything seems pretty generic so far, but it does get better. And if you're not interested and you find this boring, that's fine. You're entitled to your own opinion. Not every story can be for every person. I dunno, man.**

* * *

"Favorite color?"

"Black."

"Favorite book or book series?"

"Maximum Ride by James Patterson."

"Animal?"

"Bird obviously. Raven to be more specific."

"Song?"

"'Monster' by Imagine Dragons."

"Flavor of toast?"

"Uh…toast flavored?"

The four kids were shooting off questions like bullets from a rifle, and I was trying to answer them as quickly as I could. It was kind of fun, I have to admit.

We had just finished supper, which was not cow brains and short cake by the way, and were all sitting on the couch. The TV was running, but no one was paying attention. Apparently, I was more interesting than this weird show called _Lab Rats_.

"Guys, stop asking Emily so many questions. You're bugging her," Tasha scolded.

"No, it's fine, Mrs. Davenport," I reassured.

"Really? Well, okay. And you can call me Tasha."

"Alright, I will, Tasha." I rolled the name around in my mouth, trying to get used to the feeling of it.

Just then, Mr. Davenport came in carrying a box of metal and electronic junk. "Hey, guys, I'm just throwing this stuff away."

"Uh, Mr. Davenport, can I use those, if you're throwing it away and all?" I asked.

He looked at me suspiciously. "Why?"

"I want to make myself a new cell phone. My last one fell out of my pocket on a long flight."

He was still wary, but I could tell that even if he didn't respect me as a person, he respected me as an inventor. "Fine, just don't make a mess or anything."

I raised an eyebrow. "Make a mess? What am I? Two?"

The exasperation was clear on his face. "Whatever. You know what I mean."

I smiled sarcastically. "Yeah, unfortunately, I do."

He rolled his eyes and dropped the box on the kitchen counter, making sure to make a loud noise that my sensitive hearing didn't like. He then stalked off, looking very annoyed.

I sighed and slipped off the couch. After rummaging through the box of scraps, I nodded to myself, satisfied with the supplies. The four teenagers came over and stood next to me. I could already hear the unspoken question.

"Do you guys want to help me?" I asked.

They all agreed, not surprisingly. We walked over to the elevator with me in the lead with my box. We went down to the lab and set up the stuff on a spare table. "Alright, do you guys know how to make a cell phone?"

Chase nodded. Bree and Leo looked uncertain but shrugged. Adam just stared at me blankly. "Well, if you don't, I'll show you," I told them, directing most of it to Adam.

We worked on it for a couple hours. Time seemed to fly as Chase and I did most of the work and Bree, Leo, and Adam helped out once they got the hang of it. It took several tries, but we finally got the perfect model.

"Wow, this thing is more loaded than the new E-Phone," Leo said.

"Can I have one?" Bree asked.

"It's shiny." Adam reached out to touch it, but Chase grabbed his arm.

"Yes, it is 'loaded' and 'shiny,' and I'll help you make your own, Bree," I told them.

Chase held up the design plans he had made. "Is this right?"

I took it from him and scanned it over. "Yeah, look's perfect. Hey, what time is it?"

"It's time for you to go," Eddy cackled, suddenly coming on.

I rolled my eyes and pressed a button on my new phone. "It's eleven already? Wow, we must have taken longer than we thought."

Just then, Mr. Davenport walked through. "What are you guys doing up this late? Don't you know it's eleven?"

Adam snickered. "Well, we didn't _not_ know it was eleven." He winked, and everybody rolled their eyes.

Donald sighed. "Just go to bed." He glared at me one last time before heading back.

"Wait, where's Emily going to sleep?" Chase called just as the elevator doors dinged closed. He turned to me. "I'm sure we'll find somewhere for you to sleep."

I scoffed. "I sleep in trees most of the time. I can just stay up there." I pointed to the rafters.

"Are you sure?" When I nodded, he shrugged. "If you really want to…"

"Night, guys," Leo said, heading toward the elevator.

"Night, Leo," we called in unison.

I smiled. It was only the first day, and I was already feeling like one of them.

* * *

Since I was only thirteen, Mr. Davenport wouldn't let me go to school with the others. I stayed at the house, mainly spending my time in the lab trying to find something else to make with the spares we didn't use.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed, and the caller ID said it was Adam. I answered it, and his voice came through, as clear as if he was standing right beside me. "Hey, Emily."

"Hi, Adam. Uh, aren't you supposed to be in math class right now?"

"Yeah, but I got so bored I had to ask the teacher to go to the bathroom."

"You really shouldn't be calling during school, especially after you've just lied to a teacher."

"Ugh, you sound like Chase. Well, my five minutes are up. Gotta go."

"Wait, your teacher gives you a limit on bathroom breaks?"

"Duh, I've taken so many she has to."

"Um…okay then. Bye."

"Bye-bye." And he hung up.

I stared at the phone, deep in thought. I was still doing so as Chase came in. I turned around in my seat to face him. "Okay, please don't tell me you're skipping class too, or you're just going to ruin high school for me."

He smiled. "No, my teacher said that I could go home because I had already done all this week's work. Bummer, right?"

I sighed with relief. "Adam just called me from the bathroom at school because he was bored. At least I know my phone is working."

He shrugged. "What's that?" he asked, pointing at something in front of me.

"Oh, that's a device I've been working on. I heard you've been having trouble with Krane and thought it would help."

"Okay, well thank you." His brow furrowed. "Wait, do you know Krane?"

"Yeah, as soon as he found out there was another potential threat, he started hunting me down. He's the one who gave me this." I lifted my shirt slightly to show two twin burn marks on my abdomen.

"Ouch." Chase winced in sympathy. "So, what does that do?"

I smiled slyly. "It's a surprise."

He backed up a step. "Please tell me I'm not going to be the practice dummy."

I shook my head, my smile becoming genuine. "Nope, I think I'll let Adam have that job."

We grinned at each other, but the moment didn't last nearly enough. "Want to help me?"

"Sure." He came over, and we worked like that, side by side, until Adam, Bree, and Leo finally came home from school.

"What's that?" Bree asked, pointing at the cloth and the thing lying underneath it.

"It's a surprise," Chase said, mimicking both my words and my smile.

"Well, whatever it is, just keep it ten miles from Leo, and I think we'll be safe," Adam told us.

"Hey!" Leo protested.

"Well, we'll just see about that," I said, a mischievous light in my eyes. "Let's see, who should I try this out on first…? Okay, teeny, tiny, little, Adam." I pointed my fingers at each of the three with each word. First, Leo, Bree, Leo, and finally landing on Adam.

Without hesitation, I whipped out the ray gun from beneath its cover and pointed it at the tallest bionic. I shot it at him point blank. Suddenly, he collapsed to the ground.

"Whoa, what did you do to him?" Leo asked.

"This is a nerve gun. It shoots an invisible ray of nerve-attacking particles. They–how do I put it?– _tickle_ the person. Even if the person isn't particularly ticklish, it'll still work. It's not dangerous, but it's effective and definitely distracts the enemy for as long as you want. That's the beauty of it."

"Wow, I've never seen him like this," Bree said, staring at her older brother, who was rolling around on the ground with laughter.

"It's genius!" Leo exclaimed. "And really funny to watch."

We all had to admit that watching poor Adam roll around on the ground and laughing his lungs out was pretty funny. I finally turned the gun off. Adam immediately went limp and stared up at the ceiling, a huge grin on his face.

Suddenly, he jumped up, still smiling. "Let's do that again!"

And we were all laughing just as hard as he had been just seconds before.

* * *

 **daphrose: Hey again. I know, and I'm starting to get the feeling that this is what this story is turning out to be. I'm trying to get to the better, more unique part faster, but I don't know if it helps. I'll just have to wait and see how this goes.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Hi. So...fluff. And childishness. And farewells. And tests. Not much to say. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Do you really think that will help against Krane?"

I turned to Bree. We were sitting on the couch upstairs; the boys were in the lab playing with the new giggle-gun, as Adam liked to call it. "Maybe, maybe not. We'll just have to hope it does help. And besides, it's incredibly funny to watch."

She smiled. "Yeah, it is." Then, her eyes grew distant. "How do you defeat someone who can do all these crazy, inhuman things?"

"With something just as crazy and inhuman, I guess."

She smiled again, but I could tell she was still feeling down. "Hey, you guys _will_ get through this. You'll defeat Krane and settle whatever thing you have with my father."

Bree looked at me and shook her head. "Not 'you guys' anymore. It's 'we.' You're part of the team too. Even if Mr. Davenport isn't your number one fan, he can't deny that you're a valuable asset and brilliant inventor. Plus, _you're our sister._ Even if you weren't raised with us, you're still our sister."

I was kinda shocked at how our positions had changed. I sighed. "I guess, but it's going to take a lot more than just a giggle-gun and a new cell phone to really fit in with you guys."

"Well, you'll get there. I know you will."

I smiled sadly. "I hope so."

Before I could get too depressed, the boys came up, grinning like little children. "What are you up to?" I asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," they chorused.

They all looked at one another. "Well, we're _not_ going to hit you with the giggle-gun behind Leo's back." Adam gave his signature "I-didn't-just-give-away-our-plan" wink.

"Adam!" Chase exclaimed.

"What? I just made sure they didn't know our plan."

Chase and Leo made exasperated sounds. Meanwhile, we had already stood and backed up. "Oh no, you don't," I said. I picked up a pillow from the couch and threw it at Leo.

"Pillow!" he shouted and ducked. That only meant that Adam, standing right behind him, got a face full of throw-pillow.

At first, Adam looked angry enough to start using his heat vision and incinerate something. But then, he grinned and yelled, "Pillow fight!"

And so, the free-for-all, every-man-for-himself pillow fight ensued. It went on for fifteen minutes, up to the very second Mr. Davenport walked in.

The inventor stopped and stared at us, and we stared right back. Then, a voice broke through the tense silence. "It was her fault!" Adam pointed at me, and everyone else nodded. I may have been new at the sibling thing, but I knew he was just trying to cover up his own guilt. Unfortunately, that didn't stop the sharp sting of betrayal. They may have thought I was as close to them as they were to each other, but I wasn't comfortable enough for that yet.

Mr. Davenport's gaze honed in on me, and I felt embarrassment with a touch of anger flush my face. He walked up to me until we were nearly touching. "Guys, go down to the lab," he commanded.

They didn't protest. I wanted to somehow express how angry and hurt I was, but that wasn't who I was. Nearly a year of never showing my feelings to anyone could do that to a person.

When they were gone, Donald stared down at me. I was only about a head shorter than him. "Emily, what really happened?"

I explained everything. He didn't seem as threatening as I continued with the story, but he never moved from his spot inches from me, making me feel uncomfortable. When I was done, everything seemed to just drain from him. He flopped down on the couch, which was bare of pillows of course. I sat down next to him, confused and concerned. I wanted to ask what he was thinking, but I decided the best thing was to wait for him to speak first.

"I'm really happy you and the kids are bonding and having fun together and all. You've shown them things they haven't seen before, given them opportunities they haven't had yet. I love that, and I really wish you could stay here and become their new sister. But you can't."

I opened my mouth to protest, but I decided again that it was best to remain silent.

"Here are my reasons: first, you've been with Douglas most of your life. I'm not saying you're a spy or anything, though that is a possibility. He could have implanted a tracking device or something in you. Second, I was told Krane has been hunting you. You might be a security risk there as well. Third, I don't know how you'll fit in. Adam, Bree, and Chase just got used to a new stepfamily and school and all this mess. They seem to be handling everything pretty well, but I wouldn't want to put even more complications in their lives. Please don't take offense; it's not personal. It's just that my first priority is to protect my family, and I don't know how you fit into this."

If he wasn't being completely honest and logical, I would have taken offense. But I knew he was right. No matter how much I wanted to stay and how much they wanted me to stay, I had to leave. I was a risk to their lives. I could put them in danger.

I nodded. "Alright, I'll go. I can leave right now." I started to get up, but Donald stopped me, looking alarmed.

"No, not yet. I don't want you to just leave out of the blue. You should stay tonight, and we can have a farewell dinner."

My eyebrow shot up. "Are you serious? It'd be a lot less painful if I just left now, for all of us. And besides, the longer I stay, the more danger I put them in. And I thought you didn't like me."

He shrugged. "I just thought you would want to say goodbye first. But if you really want to go…"

I sighed. "Fine."

His face lit up. "Good. I thought I would have to explain all of this." He patted my shoulder and walked away, back to his cocky self.

But I noticed how he never replied to whether he liked me or not.


	6. Chapter 5

**Welcome back to the world of totally predictable plots! Sorry guys. This story is kind of a slow burn (starts out slow and takes a while to get to the best part), but I thought I'd try a longer story with more details. And even though Emily isn't my most original or interesting or non-Mary-Jane-ish OC, I think she helps develop other characters as well as herself. It feels like this story at this point is meant to be more about what the other characters do/say/think than what the actual OC/narrator does. I don't know.**

* * *

When I went down to the lab, no one would meet my eyes. I knew they were all feeling guilty for ratting me out. Good.

Once again, the desire to express my anger and betrayal rose up, but I pushed it down. They already felt bad. That was good enough for me. I wasn't one to rub it in their faces. That didn't mean I couldn't have a little fun first though.

I sat down on a spare chair and started working on something I was designing. The silence in the room felt almost physical. I didn't talk to anyone, didn't even acknowledge their existence. The only sounds were the clinks and clanks of the pieces I was using.

Finally, it seemed like the silence had become unbearable, and it was broken by Bree. "So, what did he say to you?"

I once again wanted to reply with anger or sarcasm or silence, but I thought they had learned their lesson. Dodging her direct question, I told them without turning around, "I'm leaving in the morning."

There were a few seconds of shocked silence. Then, like before, everything seemed to explode. Everyone was shouting protests and begging for me to stay. I waited patiently before I put two fingers in my mouth and whistled loudly. They got quiet, waiting for me to speak.

"I know you guys don't want me to go, but I have to. I'm a security risk and a complication. I can't stay."

"Yes, you can," Chase said.

"No, I can't."

"Why not?" Leo challenged.

"I just told you. I'd hurt more than I'd help. Besides, you'll get used to it; I've only been here two days after all."

"No, we wouldn't," Bree argued. "You're our sister, and even if we only found out about you a few days ago, we will _never_ forget you or stop missing you."

"See? I'm already hurting you guys. I never should have come." I turned to leave, but someone grabbed my arm.

"Did Mr. Davenport put you up to this?" Adam's eyes were narrowed. Sometimes, I forgot how smart he could be at times.

I shook out of his grip. "No, this is my choice. One of my jobs as a sister is protecting you, and I can only do that away from you."

"What if we're in danger, and you're all the way across the country?" Chase countered. "You couldn't protect us then."

"No, but that's a risk I'll have to take. I'm only putting you in danger by being here. Please don't make this harder." I started to leave again, and no one stopped me this time.

"I'm sorry about leaving you to take all the blame," Leo called just as I was getting to the elevator.

"We all are," Chase agreed. The other two nodded.

I turned back to smile sadly. "Apology accepted."

* * *

Dinner wasn't really festive, not that I expected it to be. Everyone talked and ate and stuff, but I could tell they all felt as secluded and sad as I did. Even Eddy didn't show up to annoy us.

When it was over, I was almost glad. The mood had been so serious and grim, it seemed impossible with a room full of hormone-crazed teenagers. We said goodbye and hugged because somehow we all knew that when they woke up in the morning, I would already be gone.

And I was happy with that. I didn't want anyone to watch me as I took to the sky. I didn't want anybody to see the tears that I knew would come.

When I woke up in the rafter beams of the lab, everyone was still asleep. I dropped down, silent as a cat. But when I got upstairs, Donald was waiting for me. He was lying on the couch, looking half-asleep. I could tell he had slept there. When I walked in though, he snapped up, wide awake.

He half-rose to greet me. "Emily…" he started.

"It's okay. I was just going." I pointed to the balcony door.

"Wait, I wanted to give you a goodbye hug."

"Okay…" This was strange since he had already given me one last night. We embraced and pulled apart. I stared into his eyes, trying to see what he was thinking. But like my father, his eyes revealed nothing.

He walked me outside to the roof from which I had seen them watching me so long ago. "Well, I guess this is goodbye, Mr. Davenport." I tensed, about to take off, when I felt an arm on my shoulder, both comforting me and holding me back. "What?" I looked at him, and to my surprise, he was _smiling_.

"Congratulations, Emily." What was he talking about? Why was he smiling?

I stared at him, confused. He was still grinning like I had just performed something amazing. "This whole thing, the part about you leaving, was a test. I wanted to see your true self. And all I see now is a selfless, brave, honest, smart, protective, loving girl."

I blinked, shocked. "So…I don't have to leave?"

He laughed. "No, you can stay. Now, come on, let's go scare the others." He practically skipped back inside, and I followed him, surprise and confusion written across every feature of my face.

Leo was coming down from his room just as we stepped in. He looked like he was still trying to wake himself up. Donald and I shared a glance. Suddenly, I rushed toward Leo, tackling him in a hug. "Please, Leo, I don't want to go! Tell him to let me stay! I want to stay here, with you and the others. Please…"

He jumped slightly in my arms, startled by the crushing weight around him. "Alright, what are you talking about?"

I released him and stepped back. He saw Mr. Davenport and me, and the realization clicked in his mind. "Oh, right." He turned to Donald pleadingly. "Can't she stay? I promise I'll take care of her. I'll take full responsibility. I'll feed her and clean up after her and…"

"Hey, I'm not a dog," I interrupted indignantly.

"Hm…maybe." Mr. Davenport tapped his chin thoughtfully.

" _Please_ ," we begged in unison.

"I'll think about it. Now, let's go wake the others." We made our way to the elevator, me trying my hardest not to grin.

Chase, of course, was already up even though it was a Saturday. Bree and Adam were sleepily making their way out of their capsules. When they saw me still here though, they immediately perked up. "You're staying?" Chase asked in disbelief.

"I haven't decided yet," Donald said seriously.

We all started pleading with him instantly. Finally, he gave in, laughing at our little puppy dog faces. We all grinned and high-fived and thanked Mr. Davenport for being the _best dad ever_. The happy mood was so intense that I felt like I was choking on it and just wanted to hug everybody.

I realized that the threat of my staying was still there, but suddenly it didn't feel so important anymore. Being with this family, _my_ family, just wiped away any doubt or reservation or worry or any other negative emotions. Being with my father and brother had done that once, but I didn't let that thought kill the mood.

We all went upstairs and told Tasha once she woke up. She really did hug me and started crying softly. I guess I really was one of the Davenports now.

* * *

 **daphrose: Thanks. I don't know how I came up with that. I had a weird mind back then. But I guess it's funny. I thought it'd be cool to find a non-violent way of fighting against Krane. And I do think I made these scenes kind of OOC and cliché, but I guess I just figured that this was how they were going to get over the whole "trust barrier" or whatever. Not the best test of trust and character and motive, but it works.**


	7. Chapter 6

**And here is where the real story starts. This is supposed to be the big underlying question throughout most of the rest of the story. What did she choose? You'll find out. So, there's action, Krane, and torture all in one chapter. I think this is the point where things start to get interesting. Anyway, I should probably let you read for yourself. Here you go!**

* * *

"Leo!" I shouted. "Leo, _please_!" Tears slipped out of my eyes, either from frustration or fear. "Leo, where are you? Help me!" I couldn't breathe. The space was too small.

The bionic kids were in detention for missing so many days again. Tasha and Donald were on a business trip. Leo and I had decided to go to the mall. Out of nowhere, Victor Krane had geo-leaped in front of me and attacked. Leo tried to intercept, and Krane had shoved me in a cleaning closet. I still didn't know what had happened to Leo, which scared me more than the fact that _Krane_ was out there.

"Leo!" I was almost screaming now. He wasn't replying, and I was starting to panic. "Leo, please say something! Leo!"

Suddenly, the door flew open, and Krane stood before me. "Looking for this?" he asked, holding an unconscious Leo by the collar.

"Leo! What did you do to him?" I asked fiercely.

"Don't worry, princess. I just knocked him out. What I'm _going_ to do is what should worry you."

"What do you…" I didn't get the chance to finish. He threw Leo into the closet and grabbed my arm. Soon, I felt us going through the strange and uncomfortable process of geo-leaping.

We were in a warehouse. It was dark and musty and abandoned. I tried to resist, but he hit my head, not knocking me out but making me feel dizzy and unsteady. He shoved me up against a pole and wrapped a thick chain around me. Once I got over my vertigo, I struggled to break my bonds, but it was useless.

"What do you want, Krane?" I growled.

"I want you to become my spy on the Davenports."

I snorted. "And why would I ever do such a thing?" I suddenly remembered that this, the chance of becoming a danger to them, was one of the reasons why I wanted to leave the Davenports in the first place. Why didn't I just fly away?

"Because I still know where your father is, and if you don't do this, I'll kill him." When I rolled my eyes, he continued, "I know you still love him. He is your father after all. Even though you stubbornly deny it, you would still protect him."

"How do you know?" I sneered.

"You're a _Davenport_. You would do anything to protect your family. Just like every single one of your family members."

"Why me?" I asked, trying to avert the subject.

"You're the new one, and you're the youngest. They haven't had time to get rid of that warm, accepting feeling and see the true you yet. They trust you, even Donald. You're the perfect target."

"I won't betray my family."

"Yes, you will. Either way, you'll be a family traitor. You have to pick one: your father or your new family. Choose, little girl, or I will for you."

He loomed over me threateningly. I stared back defiantly, but inside, I was shaking with fear. He had given me the impossible choice. And I couldn't make a decision.

Or maybe I could. I knew what I had to do. It was hard; I was becoming a traitor, and I knew there was no way Krane would let me off easy. I took a deep breath and spoke.

* * *

My eyes were barely open. I sagged against the pole I had been standing against for so long now, the chains tugging on my limp body and digging into my skin. I didn't care though; I was too tired to care.

The door to the warehouse burst open, and I saw silhouettes against the harsh light. Voices drifted around me, saying things I couldn't make out. Hands held me, unwrapping the chain and holding me steady as I put all my weight on my feet. My legs shook violently and would have buckled if it weren't for the people supporting me. I took small steps the way they were leading me, toward the open door. Finally, someone grabbed me around the waist and lifted me onto their shoulder. I would have sighed with relief if I had the strength.

The person set me down in what I guessed was the back seat of a car and sat down next to me, shutting the door. My eyes quickly adjusted back to the dim light, and I could make out the Davenport family. Adam, who had been the one carrying me, lifted my head and put it on his lap. They all looked extremely worried.

Donald started the car from the driver's seat, Bree next to him in the passenger's. Chase slipped in on the other side of me, doing the same to my legs as Adam did to my head. Mr. Davenport started driving, and there was an unbearable silence in the small vehicle.

"What did he do to you?" Bree finally asked.

My voice was raspy from misuse and from screaming a lot. "He wouldn't let me sleep. When I started to drift off, he would shock me with electricity."

"That monster…" Donald said.

"That's awful. Why did he take you?" Chase questioned.

"He wanted me to spy on you guys for him." My voice was barely a whisper. I didn't like how weak and small it sounded. My body was a lead weight, trying to drag me down.

"Poor bird-girl," Adam whimpered.

I couldn't help a small smile at his nickname for me. "Can I sleep now?"

"Yes, of course." Mr. Davenport sounded so soft and caring and concerned.

I didn't waste any time. I was gone the second my eyes closed.


End file.
